From longtime friends to new connections, Class of 2030 arrives ready to make its mark

"I'm excited to be part of the community here," Czipri said.

Beach and Czipri are among the eager members of the Class of 2030 who arrived on campus last week ready to launch their college journeys and make their mark on Longwood.

During the two-day move-in process, incoming freshmen got settled into what will become their home away from home for the next four years. The air was thick with anticipation-and a touch of understandable nervousness-as students and families unloaded cars packed with the essentials of college life, all while navigating the sweltering mid-August heat.

The unloading areas outside the four residence halls where the majority of freshmen live-Moss and Johns halls, the high-rises on the east side of campus, and Sharp and Register halls on the west side-hummed with activity.

Chase Blaha '30, from Chesterfield, Virginia, stood in the shade in front of Johns Hall near his neatly stacked pile of belongings, which included a tennis racket, pickleball paddle and baseball mitts-all clues to his interests and eventual career path.

"I'm majoring in business administration and want to work in sports; something in a front office," he said. "I played tennis and volleyball in high school and rec baseball for most of my life. I'm definitely going to play club baseball. My roommate catches and I pitch, so we're coming in with the full battery."

As is the case with many of his freshman peers, Blaha's roommate, Corey Stonebraker '30, is also a longtime friend-as well as a fellow business major-giving him a familiar face immediately upon setting foot on campus. But while some freshman friendships precede move-in day, like Blaha and Stonebraker, others are more recent-brand new, in fact.

Laila Grace Jones '30 and Bailey Osborne '30 met within an hour of arriving, making introductions while waiting in line for the elevator in Moss Hall. And while the rising mid-morning heat initially brought the two together-as both sought shade in front of their shared 10-story residence-they soon found common ground.

"I looked on Pinterest," Jones said when asked where she researched what she should bring to decorate her new campus home.

"Same here," replied Osborne, showing off an oversized pink ottoman that doubled as a storage container.

The two went on to compare hometowns, majors and career aspirations-Osborne, from Loudoun County, Virginia, pursuing a career in special education; and Jones, from Lynchburg, Virginia, on a political science and pre-law track. The conversation carried them into the front door of Moss before their parents soon rejoined them with the rest of their supplies in tow.

Meanwhile, a cadre of volunteers clad in blue T-shirts emblazoned with "Welcome Home, Lancers!" greeted new students and their families and helped unload vehicles overflowing with residential-life necessities and small comforts of home-from mini fridges and bedding to toiletries and stuffed animals, and cases of snacks and energy drinks to fuel late-night study sessions.

Among the volunteers were members of the men's and women's basketball coaching staffs. Women's Basketball Head Coach Erika Lang-Montgomery helped check in and check out the large, wheeled laundry carts families used to haul their belongings into the two high-rise residence halls. The carts were in high demand-and this year they came with names. "Joan of Cart," "Rotunda Roller," "Cart-astrophe" and "High Bridge Hauler" added a fun, lighthearted touch to the sometimes stressful task of moving in.

Men's Basketball Head Coach Ronnie Thomas also joined volunteers helping students and their families unload. At one point, he helped carry a baby-blue retro Frigidaire mini fridge and stopped to pose for a photo with it.

"That's a nice fridge!" he said.

New friends, new experiences and a new home for the next four years await the talented and academically impressive members of the Class of 2030. Longwood is welcoming more than 900 new students to campus this fall, including both freshmen and transfers. The incoming class has members from 21 different states and more than 20 countries outside the United States. Their average GPA is a staggering 3.67, buoyed by seven valedictorians and 149 incoming students who will become members of the prestigious Cormier Honors College for Citizen Scholars (CHC). The CHC freshmen arrived on campus Sunday for the annual Honors College retreat.

Volunteers at spirit stations around campus also added to the festive atmosphere and served as welcoming ambassadors for arriving new Lancers and their families. Greeting carloads of families as they turned off Main Street at Wynne Drive on Wednesday were staff of the College of Graduate and Professional Studies, including Dean Dr. Jeannie Perry and Associate Dean Dr. Sarah Tanner-Anderson '02, M.A. '07, decked out in Lancer gear and waving blue-and-white pom-poms. On Thursday, staff members from the Greenwood Library took a turn greeting Lancer families to campus.

Julian Christman '30 and his parents made the six-hour drive to Farmville from their home in Felton, Delaware. Christman, a kinesiology major and student-athlete on the baseball team, was moving into a suite on the sixth floor of Johns Hall with some of his fellow teammates. He said he is looking forward to playing baseball in the spring and learning new things.

"Yeah, I met all my guys," he said of his suitemates. "We're all baseball players."

Traniya Stewart '30, from Lynchburg, Virginia, was moving into Moss Hall with help from her mom, who was taking pictures to document the experience. She is undecided on a major but is looking forward to being on Longwood's track and field team as a sprinter. Her roommate is also on the team, and their room decor theme is pink and leopard print.

Further down the move-in line, Maximilian Harris '30 used one hand to push a packed cart and the other to carry a case that housed one of his prized possessions: a trumpet. A history major like his father, he also plans to continue his music career as a Lancer, among other pursuits.

"I'll probably sign up for one of the bands," he said. "And I'm hoping to join some of the other clubs. I know there's a history club, and I hear they take a lot of trips. That sounds like a lot of fun to be part of, so I'm going to check that out."

Harris' open-minded approach to Longwood's myriad opportunities for student involvement also extended to his strategy for finding his way around Longwood's campus: to simply get lost.

"I've been here three times; once for orientation and then two tours. But I think I'm still going to get lost," Harris said. "Whenever I go somewhere new, the first couple weeks I'm just lost. But some of the other campuses I visited were like cities. Longwood is a nice size."

The university's size was also a key selling point for Molly Kate Savino '30, an elementary education and teaching major from the Richmond area. She said she is looking forward to her upcoming choir audition and singing on campus. She chose Longwood due to the strength of its education department and its "right in the middle" size.

Along with Longwood's navigable size, other newcomers noted another feature of the 187-year-old campus.

"This is all so flat," said Emily-Claire Hartman '30, who made the trip from her mountainous hometown of Salem, Virginia.

But despite the new scenery and the more than 100 miles that now separate Hartman from where she grew up, the freshman elementary education and teaching major won't be alone in her new home away from home. Joining her in her Johns Hall suite will be her roommate and best friend from Salem, Rylee Sizemore '30, also an elementary education major.

"We don't know our suitemates, so that's a mystery, but I'm excited to be living with my best friend," Hartman said. "She's not here yet, but she's on the way right now."

And while Hartman's early arrival could have also granted her priority selection for her side of their shared room, she opted to wait until Sizemore could weigh in. Whichever side Hartman ends up on, she says, will be pink-her favorite color and a loose theme for how she plans to decorate her new space.

Several floors below Hartman and Sizemore's 10th-floor Johns Hall suite, roommates Lexi Strydom '30 and Caroline Casey '30 had already decorated much of their new space in their coordinated color scheme of pink, green and blue hues. Both brought lots of photos from home as well as their baby blankets.

"I'm excited to meet new people and make lifelong friendships," said Strydom, who hails from Richmond and is majoring in elementary education and teaching. "I'm excited for our new home."